PocketNES

PocketNES is a freeware NES emulator for the Game Boy Advance and, at the same time, the most capable one on this handheld. It was originally developed for hobbyists to use with their own ROM collections and rewritable flash cartridges, but a few game publishers ended up releasing multicarts of their old NES games for GBA, as did pirates. They didn't need to ask permission because the PocketNES developers had released the emulator to the public domain. Often pirates change the name of the program from PocketNES to VisualNES.

PocketNES is often bundled with a single NES/Famicom ROM and packaged as a new or unique GBA game. Both licensed and unlicensed titles are used, and often the name used on the packaging may differ from the actual game itself. Many of the ROMs used are an existing mapper hack, or normal ROMs with a small change such as credits obscured or a new title screen.